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Caoimhe, welcome back, and it's lovely to have you as our first return guest on The Check-In.

Thank you.

It's lovely to be back again.

Oh, brilliant.

Well, I think you were with us actually just as we went into winter last time.

Mm-hmm.

Now we are going into summer, and please, goodness, it's gonna be a great one for anything that we rate as being great.

Um, but it's a, it's a really good time maybe to check in with you, but you've some news of your own.

Since we met you last, you've had a huge, big, new appointment.

Yes.

I am absolutely delighted to say since we were last together, I have been appointed as the president of the Irish Pharmacy Union.

So the last time we were together, I would've been the vice president, served that for two years, and now have taken on the role of the president, which is an absolute honor.

I am a massive advocate of pharmacy, I think as you can probably tell from the conversation before and hopefully from this one, and this role gives me the opportunity to represent wider community pharmacy in a system at the moment which is completely changing.

We are seeing a massive evolution of the role of the pharmacist, and I think I spoke a little bit to that the last time that we were together.

But even since then to now, it has dramatically changed, and I think what we're seeing is a real shift in line with government policy-

Mm

... and a government that really wants to see pharmacy being utilized as almost the health centers in their communities, and pharmacists practicing at the top of their skill set, which they absolutely are educated to do, and bringing care a lot closer to home for our patients and our communities as well.

So it's an incredibly exciting time, and as I said, a real honor.

A real honor, but at a time when there has probably never been more change.

No, exactly, and what a fantastic time to be involved in shaping it and bringing it to life.

I mean, those who've come before me, the previous presidents, have obviously done a lot of work in getting us to this point, but I just think it's such a fantastic honor to now be able to lead the charge for community pharmacy as the role changes and evolves.

Well, congratulations.

Thank you.

And we can see we're in good hands here.

[laughs]